So.. and it’s a big So.., trends in wedding food are great to think about but don’t let it take over your wedding, prime example, whoever started the trend for fish & chip weddings in 2013 didn’t take into account how long this would take, so every wedding who found a willing caterer then had an up to 2 hour delay on their food service, throwing out all of the timings for the day, i.e. evening guests arriving during the desserts & speeches and probably not quite the day they dreamed of.
Trends go in cycles, we are just coming out of Hog Roasts, and evening butties & thank fully served fish & chips so what’s next.
We feel the biggest trend is to a far more relaxed food service, couples are more involved in cooking now which is great, I think we can thank Masterchef & the Great British Bake-off for a lot of that but relaxed dinner parties are building & that’s the ambience that many couples are looking for next year. Guest’s interaction with food, so lots of sharing platters, both with a Mediterranean feel such as hams, cheeses, roasted artichokes, pepperonata & olives served with pumpkin breads & lavoche or a selection of our seasonal pates & terrines using lots of lovely local meats & game.
With main courses again it’s the style of service that’s trending, dishes that get guests talking and creates a memory, so it’s the ethos of the day now rather than exact dishes that will trend.
There are two very different styles, choosing something that guests may not have eaten before, for instance at a recent wedding we served a Duo of Slow Cooked Wild Boar alongside a mini pie of Pheasant & Mushroom on sweet potato mash with a wild mushroom sauce. A great talking point and a new experience for many of the guests, or we have also seen an increase for next year of main courses where a nominated guest at each tables carves for their table, not just a joint of Roast meat buta dish such as slow cooked boned legs of lamb, stuffed with garlic then slow cooked in red wine & mild chilliwhich then makes a stunning sauce & great aromas as the boards are brought to the tables, of course we provide chef’s hat and most couples provide personalised aprons for the carver, great photo opportunities.
One of the growing trends is for cake bake offs for dessert…again we know who to thank for that one, for those unfamiliar, you ask all your family & friends to bake cakes, bring to the wedding with anice stand and then when it’s time for dessert, everyone goes up and tries a few cakes. It of course saves the couple money but again is all about interaction, though I do imagine the agonies that are occurring in kitchens throughout the land before feeling that their offering is good enough before the gentle transportation to the venue but hopefully most people take it for the fun that it is, key things to consider
1. Ensure your caterers are happy with this & that you have arranged for plates and asked your caterers to help with setting the cake display up etc..
2. Only ambient cakes are served. i.e. no fresh cream or raw egg butter creams etc.
And then, evening food.... My partner & head chef, Graham Green is Australian and is baffled by evening food, it doesn’t happen on the other side of the world, but It is important for two reasons, if you have evening guests they do expect some food & for day guests well it’s just a good idea alongside all day alcohol.
So trends with evening food…dare I say the retro return of the classic evening buffet, but please with a contemporary twist, more couples are starting to request this over cheese boards & the ubiquitous bacon butty, but it has to be different, so at first glance a few sandwiches & maybe wraps but then instead of quiche, chicken drumsticks & vol-au-vents (I realise that there will be readers who have no idea what they are) we offer Hot Kangaroo & black pepper pies, Mushroom & Mozzarella Arancini Balls & Spiced king prawns wrapped with fried noodles.
I should just say there is nothing wrong with a bacon butty but also nothing wrong with changing it to Hot roast beef & horseradish or Slow cooked pork with apple sauce & crackling.
There are a couple of other evening food ideas that we are hoping will start a trend so you will have to talk to us to find out more!